x-ref management information

[__archiben]

just a simple wish today:

i'd like to be able to see which translator file has been used for a particular x-ref in the "XREF Management" window. (along with name, status, instances, etc.)

and just to keep on with the whole mac, pc, dialogues and consistency issue:

i would also like the x-ref management window to be resizable to take into account often long file paths.

[Aussie John]

While we are at it, how about a better method of controlling the xref layers. Once I delete the xref id like the layers to go too. (I know I can purge layers but...)
Also maybe the layers could be nested so unless you particularly want to see all the layers the xref is covered by a genreral layer category.

[__archiben]

i wholeheartedly agree. i've written about it on a few occasions, but not actually made the wish!

archiCAD is, at present, merging x-ref information into the project rather than truly externally referencing it.

this not only means that its layer attributes become a part of the project file, but causes trouble in the teamwork environment too: if you're not signed in to all of the data that you wish to reload, for example, archiCAD will only partially reload the file and insert a duplicate because it is unable to modify the parts of the original.

it also means that if you are not signed in to any of the x-ref file you are unable to update them when needed.

additionally, to add again to the wish, x-ref layers need to be locked by default and to be unlockable! they are external reference files and should only be treated as such: locking them ensures that they cannot be modified from within the project (possible directly after importing) and prevents anybody from drafting on these layers that should be cleared when the x-ref is unloaded (as per john's post).

~/archiben

[Anonymous]

Xrefs in Archicad in my opinion are implemented without sufficient control.

The following features would be desirable
A complete Xref manager dialogue box to ...
- selectively turn on and off layers
- control line colours/line types of layers, even possibly "grey" mode the layers so you know its an xref.
- change position/ scale / rotation
- change xref file to another file
- provide clipping of the xref.
- control display on/off

Also reiterate previous comments that the xref layers should not be accessible ie: you can't draw on them, and they should disappear once the xref is detached.

[Anonymous]

We've recently jumped to archicad from microstation and one disappointment with AC is the xref management. Improvements to the layer management would be a great help eg toggle the display of the whole of any xref on-off, as well as individual layers within that file would be a major help.

[__archiben]

Maurice wrote:
The following features would be desirable
A complete Xref manager dialogue box to ...

maurice

i've been meaning to comment on these since you posted, and have only just got around to it. taken one by one:

- selectively turn on and off layers

i don't believe that the x-ref dialogue box is the place for this. i think that keeping all of the layers in one place as they are now is the more logical approach. additionally, when adding x-ref layers to layer combinations for context, etc., they are needed to show in the archiCAD layers dialogue. why duplicate?

i do think (and have wished for it for a while!) that a nested/hierarchical layer management is required: all x-ref layers automatically come into a master layer/heading where the visibility of the entire x-ref can be switched on and off. within this master layer (think drop down file structure for analogy), individual layer visibility can be controlled and added into layer combinations, etc. see my wish at:
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=370

- control line colours/line types of layers, even possibly "grey" mode the layers so you know its an xref.

this would be quite handy: a BYXREF pen and linetype over-ride situated in the x-ref management dialogue. it wouldn't necessarily lose the attributes of the original file, (i go to a lot of trouble to set up translators with consultants so that their information comes in as they intend and vice-versa), however could be controlled by a display option whereby the x-refs display with the BYXREF over-ride in working views, but could output with intended pen weights . . .

- change position/ scale / rotation

position and rotation can be changed by dragging and/or rotating on plan. access to the original geometric translation (when you first attach an x-ref you can set this), would be handy, but not really necessary IMHO. [aside: i think that hotlinks do this don't they? i haven't used them for a while.] this has to be carefully handled, though, because larger files with many team-mates mean far more people able to tweak, nudge and adjust them! maybe in a teamworked file the teamleader or the person originally inserting them are able to make these movement changes?

scale is something different. it's like a specialist display option more than a working figure: the virtual building is 1:1! as such the scale is handled by the translator file when it imports the dwg. for paperspace DWGs, (which probably shouldn't be used as x-refs anyway!), the translator file uses the drawing to ensure that that the x-ref comes into archiCAD at 1:1. this is something that is only required the once, and should be a part of the discussions with consultants when setting up the translators.

- change xref file to another file

you can now. click the 'browse' button and find the file you want!

- provide clipping of the xref.

for key-ing? or actually clip some of the data from the x-ref file for use in archiCAD?

- control display on/off

OK, so click the 'unload' button: this effectively removes the file content without completely detaching it from the project. click 'reload' when you want it to come back, or 'detach' if you want to lose it from the project completely. i disagree that a separate visibility on/off is required here. i'll maintain that the layer dialogue is the place for this. duplicating functions into separate parts of the program is only going to lead to trouble!

[NOTE TO GRAPHISOFT: the specific translator file used for the x-ref needs to be saved within the x-ref management data (see my post at the top). currently, reloading an unloaded file utilises the last used translator file instead of the one originally used.]

x-ref management, along with dwg in/out conversion, is something i believe graphisoft have to get right and continually maintain for archiCAD to stand up well and impress in the current to mid-term future. in addition to this wish there are several more dedicated to x-refs:

• data actually referenced rather than merged.
• handling of dimensions.

... to name a couple! come on grapshisoft!!!

~/archiben